What’s Healthier – Green Coffee Beans or Green Tea?

Dr. Oz recently featured a segment about a new miracle weight-loss supplement, and his message spread like wildfire. The supplement is Green Coffee Bean Extract – an all-natural substance that seems to cause weight loss with supposedly NO side effects. It is quite the turn of events. For so long, we have heard that Green Tea is great for our health, but now we are hearing Green Coffee Bean Extract might be better. Suddenly, we find ourselves in an epic ‘Battle of the Greens!’

In this blog, Green Tea and Green Coffee Bean Extract (GCBE) are going to duke it out. There are five rounds, with each round being a different health benefit. We’ll weigh the evidence, and see which ‘Green’ has the upper hand. Let it begin!

Weight Loss – Round 1.

The Insane Advertisements Begin

GCBE. A study released in January 2012 is what provided Dr. Oz the fodder to kick off the green coffee extract craze. 16 subjects were studied over the course of 22 weeks – of these 22 weeks, only 12 weeks actually involved daily GCBE consumption. On average, a daily dose of 875 mg was consumed. By the end, the average weight loss was an astounding 8 kg (17.6 lbs) per person. Furthermore, there were no reported side effects. Despite these promising results, you should know that this study was an outlier. While others studies that have been conducted around GCBE have also shown some weight loss, none have shown a result this extreme. Read more on GCBE & Weight Loss.

Green Tea. Green tea has been shown to contribute to weight loss in both animals and humans. A study of 38 Japanese men showed that those who drank green tea extract for 12 weeks had a significantly higher amount of weight loss compared to a group that didn’t use the extract. Green Tea is thought to allow weight loss by increasing thermogenesis (heat production) in the body, which requires the body to burn more energy. However, the overall amount of evidence for Green Tea causing significant weight loss is lacking. If anything, it has been shown to help maintain weight after weight loss.

Consensus: In the Battle of the Greens, GCBE strikes first, showing clearer evidence for weight loss.

Reducing Blood Pressure – Round 2.

GCBE. The evidence supporting GCBE’s benefit in reducing blood pressure is relatively strong. In a study conducted over one month, 117 men were given different doses of GCBE daily. After 28 days, the group taking the two highest doses (93mg & 185mg) ended up seeing a significant decrease in hypertension. Read more on GCBE & High Blood Pressure.

Green Tea. A small body of evidence suggests that Green Tea helps reduce blood pressure due a compound within the leaves called theanine. More significant is the evidence that shows Green Tea to reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure. In a study of 1500 Chinese men, those who drank at least a half-cup of moderate strength green tea per day for a year had a 46% lower risk of developing hypertension compared to those who didn’t.

Consensus: Round 2 in the Battle of the Greens was so exciting it raised my blood pressure, but once again, GCBE gutted out a narrow victory. That’s 2-0, GCBE.

Reducing Arthritic Symptoms – Round 3.

GCBE. Significant research on the potential benefits of Green Coffee Bean Extract on arthritis does not exist.

Green Tea. Studies on lab animals, specifically mice, have shown a remarkable potential for green tea to reduce arthritis symptoms. One study induced arthritis in two sets of 18 mice, but gave one set green tea extract. By the end of the study, only 8 of the 18 mice that received extract developed arthritis, while 17 of 18 mice developed arthritis in the group that did not receive green tea extract. Read more on Green Tea & Arthritis.

Consensus: Much to the chagrin of these now arthritic mice, Green Tea takes the cake in Round 3. Score card reads: GCBE 2, Green Tea 1.

Arthritis Buster Tea! Yes!

Preventing Heart Disease – Round 4.

Heart Warming!

GCBE. Though coffee extract contains antioxidants and other compounds that would logically correlate to reduced heart risk for heart disease, there is a lack of long term studies to support this claim.

Green Tea. On the other hand, strong longitudinal studies have been conducted showing the benefits of Green Tea on heart health. In a 12 year study of 8522 Japanese men and women, though who drank 32 ounces of green tea daily had a 58% reduced risk of death by heart disease compared to those who consumed 10 ounces or less.

Consensus: 32 ounces a day is a lot of Green Tea, but this study is one of many that show Green Tea’s heart happy benefits. Round 4 goes to Green tea, and the Battle of the Greens is now tied up.

Preventing Cancer – Round 5.

The Anti-Cancer Compound

GCBE. As I mentioned earlier, because green coffee extract contains antioxidants, it surely has some anti-cancer properties. However, due to the dearth of research evidence, no definitive claims can be made.

Green Tea. In an analysis of 31 previous studies on the relationship between green tea and cancer, the majority showed an inverse association between green tea consumption and cancer. Of 10 studies on stomach cancer, 6 showed an inverse association with green tea consumption, while 2 of 3 studies on pancreatic cancer showed an inverse correlation. Reporting these studies would be a multi-blog series in itself, so I’ll provide the link here instead.

Consensus: In science, research evidence trumps all. Though nothing is for certain, the data suggests that Green Tea has stronger anti-cancer properties. Round 5 goes to Green Tea.

And the winner is….

Green Tea over Green Coffee Bean Extract, 3 rounds to 2! That was fun, but don’t take the results too seriously. It is simply important to remember that Green Coffee Bean Extract is a recent phenomenon, and its long-term impacts are not fully understood. On the other hand, Green Tea and its extract have been consumed for thousands of years, and its health benefits are certain. Drink away, friends!

5 Responses to What’s Healthier – Green Coffee Beans or Green Tea?

I would like to know what else the dieters were doing to aid their weight loss efforts. I am suspicious of any “weight loss miracle,” particularly when hawked on TV. Dr. Oz is a bright guy, but I think he has been caught up in his own ego and success. Furthermore, when a corporation like Starbucks starts pushing this extract I feel as if again the public is at the mercy of reductionist thinking about nutrition and health. The only thing that is going to get lighter is the wallets of the people who fall for this kind of nonsense, thinking they can continue to eat processed garbage and mitigate the damage with a grande Green Coffee Extract refresher.

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